According to F1, no, but the international press is claiming that's exactly what happened, saying that Niels Wiitich has made too many bad decisions recently...
The FIA has unexpectedly announced today that Formula 1 racing director Niels Wittich is leaving his position with immediate effect. In a statement this afternoon, the German specialist is “looking for new opportunities”, which is why he left abruptly ahead of the race in Las Vegas…
"The FIA can confirm that Niels Wittich has left his position as Formula 1 Race Director to pursue new opportunities. Niels has carried out his duties as Race Director with commitment and professionalism, for which we thank him and wish him every success in the future," the statement reads.
In the meantime, the international press is increasingly reporting that there were serious tensions between Wittich and the FIA president, Mohammed ben Sulayem. Because of this, Wittich's hands were tied, he had to leave at the end of the year anyway... There is a strong possibility that all this happened because the FIA was constantly pestering the drivers with irrelevant issues: swear words, jewelry, underwear. Probably the final impetus for his dismissal was an open letter from the drivers' organization.
